Tokyo-ya Ramen

Reviews 4

JO

Joseph Evans

Theres this Evolution of an amazing comfort food going on in Federal Way... The day my wife and I learned of Tokyo-ya, was one of those typically beautiful snowy and Wintery days we tend to enjoy so much, in Federal Way. And, it couldnt have been a better day to experience a big bowl of steaming hot authentic Japanese ramen. Oddly, the coldest days seem to match ramen perfectly, like a perfectly paired wine complements a fine gourmet cuisine. Theres just something about the cold weather creating a whole other depth of flavor to this ramen. Well, the minute I was offered their "vegetarian" menu, I knew it was about to be on and poppin in the ramen house. For a cold dark brisk Wintry day, the big bowl of steaming hot ramen that arrived at our table was welcoming and comforting, all at once. The steam pouring off this gargantuan sized bowl of hot broth was like billowing cloud plumes off a fog machine at a Kiss concert. Its immediately obvious that this is not your normal large sized bowl. This is more like a bucket or a baby wash basin sized bowl. Its big and that steam carries the strong aroma of an instant spa day. I didnt know this at first, but Tokyo-Ya doesnt even give a regular spoon with their very large ramen bowl. Its actual a soup "ladle" to acting as the soup spoon. At first it makes no sense, but then the ladles purpose becomes obviously clear once you taste this amazing broth. I swear when the flavor hit my tongue, I heard seven spanish guitars suddenly burst into a symphony with Kurt Cobain belting repeatedly, "...this is Nirvana." This ramen is so very rich and buttery, you are going to want to ladle this soup bowl sized serving proportion right down your gullet, and in rapid succession. Again, its such a big bowl of soup, I honestly didnt think I would be able to finish it all, but its also so damn delicious, youre never going to want to cease eating it, not even for a moment. And before you know it, its all done and youre left thinking that wasnt nearly enough... "If I were to describe Tokyo-ya in one word, it would be "Exquisite." Sure, its not a word you often hear to describe many things in todays society, but I bet if you go taste this incredibly prepared ramen, youll agree: Exquisite is the word. Exquisite as it is defined, as having an extremely beautiful presentation with a delicate and well balanced flavor palate and aroma profile. This was truly an unexpectedly incredible dining experience for my wife and I.

RO

Robb Nunya

This place makes me really sad... Sad that its not closer to where I live that is. Man, how can I give enough praise? The Ramen is awesome! The service is as well. The staff is friendly, prompt, and puts out an incredible product! I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. We have some pretty good Japanese hibachi houses, and some fairly good sushi, and even some really tasty teriyaki joints. But Ramen houses are few & far between. Ive had half decent ramen in Arlington. But this is a whole nother ball game. My wife was very reluctant to eat here. Her only association with Ramen was the cheap stuff college kids live off of. Fortunately, Tokyo-ya offered a Gluten Free option. That and my pleading look convinced her to try it. Man was she impressed! Her comment: "Wow! Its not salty and nasty like what I think of Ramen to be." She liked it so much that we went here a second time on our vacation in Seattle. (We only did that with one other restaurant as we like to try new things when in a new area) She had the Gluten Free Miso Ramen both times. I had the Shoyu the first time and the Curry the second. Please dont ask me which was better. I dont know that I could choose. We had the same waitress twice, and she was wonderful both times. She was knowledgeable about Gluten tolerance issues, and was great helping make sure my wife had a great meal. The manger came by tonight and chatted with us. He was also a pleasure to talk to. All in all, if this place was anywhere near our house, itd be in the rotation for sure! Keep up the good work. You deserve to succeed! Thanks for making us feel welcome and serving us great food at a really good price! (Note: We got out for $24 + tip for supper. I dont know of many places where you can do that) Gluten Free tip: They can make a couple of the Ramen dishes GF, and really know about the issues someone can have. My wife had absolutely no problem eating here.

TA

Tai

Maybe its a little biased of me to write a 4 star review of the restaurant I manage, but Ive also had more food here than anyone whos posted a review prior. So here I am reviewing the restaurant I spend 80-90 hours a week at. I come from a background of Japanese food sales, so Im very familiar Japanese food-as well as our competition: Santouka, Kukai, Jinya, I Love Ramen, Arashi, K-Ton, those are the main ones that come to mind. Im not trying to point fingers here, but of all of these restaurants I usually pay $10-12 for a bowl of ramen, and my water glass struggles to keep half full as I enjoy my savory Ramen. The service is really something else here, the servers really care about the customers needs and rarely let customers get neglected for more than 3 minutes (there are about 4 exceptions that come to mind of since weve opened - to these customers I am sincerely sorry how horribly we wronged you, I hope it never happens to anyone else). The servers go above and beyond the restaurant standard of service. The food, is almost all made in house, we avoid as much pre-packaged food as possible. We spend 12 hours making our soup from pork bones and chicken the day prior. The happy hour specials were about to put out are a great deal and we try to avoid hooky gimmicks that trick you into spending more than you intend. As someone who appreciates booze: We have a great drink selection, we have wines for the wine drinkers, we have a reasonable variety of beer we have low-mid-high grade sake for the sake drinkers, and our happy hour: I dont know how long our happy hour prices will last for, but man do we have good deals for our happy hour. I want you to know that I rated us 4 stars because every week we will find new ways to improve, and we still have a long ways to go until Im satisfied.

KE

Ken Fukumoto

Great atmosphere, friendly staff and good food. I even liked the Japanese pop music playing overhead. Only knocks are for the value and the octopus. I started with the Takoyaki (octopus). I will say that the flavor profile was on point. The batter was fluffy, and the garnish of Japanese mayo, tonkatau sauce and dashi flakes were right out of a summer festival. My only gripe was that the octopus was too chewy. Yes, I know its normally chewy, but this left my knawing at a small ball of octopus long after the batter and sauces had disintegrated in my mouth. I normally have to have the miso ramen if Im trying a place for the first time, but I went with the Tan-Tan instead. The broth was excellent and the presentation was beautiful. The noodles were good but not something that sets Tokyo-ya Ramen apart. I did order extra noodles which was a good choice since it was just enough, but I do feel like I would have felt a little skimpped if I hadnt. (Especially with only two pieces of pork belly). Overall the broth and total package won me over though. Ill be back again.